US Visa Rules, July 16 -- The US State Department has made it mandatory to make the social media privacy settings of applicants of the F, M, or J non-immigrant visas to be changed to 'public'. The move, aimed to strengthen visa screening procedures, may see deportation or visa revocation of applicants if they fail to comply.

In a post on X, the US State Department announced the decision and said that the decision is effective immediately.

"Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to 'public' to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law," it said...